Joe GallopThe ACC Liverpool Group has been awarded £1.4m in funding for its next step towards achieving Net Zero status by 2030.
The organisation, operator of M&S Bank Arena (cap. 11,000), the Exhibition Centre Liverpool and convention centre, is set to receive the funding from the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme, which is delivered by Salix Finance.
The money from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero has been awarded to Liverpool City Council as owners of the campus.
It is one of 180 public sector organisations awarded funds from the government Phase 3b of the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme for heat decarbonisation and energy efficient projects. The money will be used to replace hot water boilers in the arena and adjoining convention centre – installed when the venue opened in 2008 – with air sourced heat pumps.
The project is currently expected to directly save more than 4,200 tonnes of carbon over the lifetime of the project in addition to reducing running and maintenance costs.
The ACC Liverpool Group director of operations and venue management Eddie dos Santos said, “We have already made significant progress across the campus with a number of initiatives and are striving to implement as many changes as we can to make events that we host as sustainable as possible for organisers and visitors.
“This project will enable us to make massive reductions in carbon emissions from the existing equipment and reduce our annual running costs.”
Several sustainable measures have already been taken by The ACC Liverpool Group including signing the Net Zero Carbon Events pledge and setting its own target of Net Zero by 2030, in line with Liverpool City Council. In 2021 the organisation launched its Social Value Impact Plan.
The organisation, which recently installed LED lights across the campus, aims to maintain zero to landfill status, support the development of super low carbon events and reduce single-use plastics.
Liverpool City Council, owners of the campus, nominated The ACC Liverpool Group to receive the funding for the development which will be installed before the end of the year. It said the development will not affect any events taking place on the campus.